A Poor Substitute
by MaPetite-cricket
Summary: A brief encounter in a cave after a mission has Sakura confused. Neji on the other hand knows what he wants, and he wants her, but will she want him when the one person she never thought she'd see again comes back? WARNING:Rated M for adult content.
1. Chapter 1

**A Poor Substitute **

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto… obviously. I'm not making any money off of this story, so don't sue please, and thank you.

Author's note: I just thought of this story suddenly as I was trying to sleep one night. I never really thought about doing this paring, but I kinda like Neji and his cool semi arrogant demeanor ;p This story is self-edited, and possibly not thoroughly enough. I apologize for my mistakes in advance.

WARNING: This is only an excuse to write smut. There is very little plot, mostly just sex and romance. You have been warned. With that being said, let us all assume everyone in this story is of legal age.

XXXX

The cold bit at her skin as she flew from building top to building top, the wind whipping her hair around her face. She kept going over all the words she wanted to say, but her mind was racing too quickly for her to grasp onto them. Hopefully, once she got there, inspiration would just strike. '_Yeah right, how often does that happen?' _ She scoffed internally. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, but she couldn't stop herself. She needed to see him, to make him understand, and to apologize.

It happened a few months ago on a mission. She never thought they would be put on a team together. It was practical, or so Tsunade had told them. She had said their skills would complement each other's. They were both extremely powerful and capable shinobi, thus the joint mission… just him and her.

It was cold that night too; she remembered how the rain and cold had saturated her skin into her bones as they flew from tree top to tree top. Eventually she was so cold and tired she had to beg him to stop. He quietly consented and they had made their way to a secluded cave off of the road, just outside of Lightening. Unsurprisingly, it was aptly named. As the ungodly flashes of light and thunder rolled around echoing through the dark cave, she had built a fire. They sat and shivered next to each other before she let out an irritated huff. It wouldn't do for either of them to become ill over some ridiculous notion of modesty, so they stripped and dried their clothes on a large stone she placed next to the fire. She had shivered for almost an hour trying to soak some warmth into her skin as their clothes dried. Eventually they had redressed and, although she was now dry and the fire was blazing, it was still unbearably cold. It was this same line of practical reasoning that led them to huddle closely together next to the fire sharing the only thin cotton blanket they had between them. It was practical, it was calculated, it meant nothing other than survival. They had both been wrong.

It was her hands that went completely numb with cold first. He noticed that her chakra pathways were blocked by the freezing blood in her own veins. "It's only practical," he had told her as he took her hands in his and cradled her body in front of the fire. There was but inches between them, but her skin itched with the feeling of phantom skin against hers. For minutes she stood stiff and nervous as her heart pounded. She couldn't even breathe. She had never been that close to anyone before let alone a man, let alone a _teammate_. The last bit made her a little bitter.

So as she held her breath and he held her loosely, her mind started to race in time with her heart as a thick tension filled air. Their bodies pressed together so closely yet not touching and she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to feel his hard muscle pressed tightly against the soft curves of her own body.

"Relax," he said to her softly, his breath blowing against the back of her neck causing her flesh to pucker with gooseflesh. She let out a gasp as places in her lower body began to tighten. It had only been a breath, but the sensation sent an electric shock through her nerves and her mouth went very dry.

She didn't need to be facing him to tell, she could feel his eyes bearing into the back of her head and was surprised she didn't go up in flames with the intensity of his gaze, but then again he had always been like that. He was always so careful, calm, and intense. Seemed to be a trait in people that she attracted, or was it that she was attracted to?

She decided then that she wasn't going to make a fool of herself. She was a medic after all and he was right, it was only practical. She took a deep breath and collapsed her body back into his letting out a content sigh as his warmth flooded through her. She felt so much better as her skin started to prickle with the heat from his body and the fire in front of them. His heat and his smell wrapping itself around her with their meager blanket and she let it engulf her senses. It actually felt nice.

She had started to drift off to sleep when she felt her long pink hair being pulled to the side, and it brought her awake with a start. For a moment she thought she imagined it but then she heard his deep voice as it vibrated through his chest against her back. "Relax," he whispered again against the skin on her neck and she shivered.

She didn't know what to do as he began to lay gentle kisses against her skin making his way up behind the soft spot behind her ear. Her heart was in her throat as he lingered there a moment before nipping the soft flesh and then sucking gently. She couldn't help it, a low moan came out of her throat before she could stop the traitorous sound and she felt him smile against her neck.

"Tell me to stop," he whispered as he turned her face to the side meet his and she met his eyes, gazing into their milky depths. He leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. "Tell me to stop," he repeated, breathing the words against her lips as he took her chin in his hands, "and I will."

Surprise and curiosity welled up inside of her as well as another emotion that she couldn't decipher. She stared at his mouth and wondered why she wanted nothing more for him to press those soft lips to hers. She wet her bottom lip without realizing it and held his lingering gaze.

"Please," she said suddenly, "don't stop."

He let out a shaky breath and brought his lips to hers. They were softer than she thought they would be. The kiss was so heartbreakingly gentle it almost brought tears to her eyes. "Please," she whispered again when he pulled away, and he brought his lips back to her with a bit more force. She couldn't believe she was kissing _him_, of all people.

The angle of her head was starting to become uncomfortable so she twisted around in his arms and threw her arms around his neck and he threaded his hands through her hair. The angle allowed him better access and he tapped his tongue against her lips asking for entrance which she gave willingly. It was like a dam broke the moment the hot wet muscle entered her mouth. She let out a mewl of pleasure and surprise as he explored the cavern in her mouth. Their height difference allowed him to tip her head back gently and kiss her more deeply.

They were both starting to breathe heavily, as their kiss turned from a gentle melding, to something more heated and urgent. It was like they were trying to feed from each other's mouths in a clash of tongue and teeth.

He finally pulled back panting as they both stared at each other in surprise. Where had this passion come from? Was it the hot fire in front of them? Could it be the crushing cold that forced them to seek each other's warmth? He looked at her uncertainly with a look she had never before seen in his eyes, at least not for her. His eyes darkened with a primal need, waiting for her to protest or to deny him what he wanted and needed.

She leaned forward and trailed her lips over the long column of his throat before taking his earlobe between her teeth and bit softly.

"Don't stop," she breathed again.

He groaned and tightened his grip on her hair and pushed her to the ground underneath him. The rocks were as hard against her back biting into her tender flesh, but she couldn't bring herself to care. He settled himself between her legs and began to kiss her again a little more forcefully. An ache began to grow between her legs as he started to rock against her gently, keeping in rhythm with their lips.

A fire started to grow in her belly and was making its way downwards and she couldn't take it anymore. Where before the cave was cold and biting, now it was hot and stifling. She brought her hands from around his neck and started to clumsily work her hands beneath his shirt pulling. Without a word he brought his hands down and lifted the shirt over his head and flung the unwanted garment away from them. She stared at the sculpted plane of his chest and bit her lip. He was masculine but incredibly beautiful.

Leaning forward she pressed her palms against his chest and ran her tongue over the ridges of his muscles tasting the subtle salty musk that was just so incredibly him and he groaned. She smiled to herself proud that she could elicit such a noise. She licked and sucked down his chest until her chin ran into the rough fabric of his pants. She looked up at him and saw his eyes were bearing into her with a burning intensity that she hadn't seen before. She bit the fabric playfully and let out a yelp of surprise when he suddenly grabbed her face in his hands and brought his mouth back down to her with so much force it was painful. She cried out but he swallowed her protests as he ripped her shirt over her head sending it flying to plop next to his. Then his rough hands found the peak of her breasts underneath her flimsy bra and all her protests were forgotten. It sent small waves of pleasure down her body as he slowly kneaded her supple flesh, and she began to feel a strange tingling sensation grow between her thighs. She threw her head back and moaned his name. It was hot, too hot, and the need to remove more clothing was almost stifling.

In a clumsy rush she fumbled with her skirt, trying to scoot out of it while he pressed her into harsh cold ground. He must have sensed what she wanted because the next moment he pulled back enough to allow her to remove the rest of her clothing as he pushed the last of his from his body. Then they stood frozen staring at each other uncertainly. The tingling sensation was growing and to her horror and embarrassment she felt a wet sensation dripping down her thighs.

This was it, there was nothing left between them. She hopped that he wouldn't change his mind. She wasn't the most well-endowed of their friends and would understand if he didn't find her all that attractive. She had hardly a chest to speak of, her hips were small, and her legs thin, but the look he gave her reassured her. He brought his hand back to her face to cup her cheek. "Beautiful," he whispered and kissed her again very gently. When he pulled back he regarded her sternly. "Are you sure?" he asked carefully.

She smiled and pushed a lock of thick dark hair behind his ear. The answer? Of course she wasn't sure. How was she supposed to be sure about something like this? She always thought there was some sort of switch that would just flip on and she would know, like a light that would just turn on, but she saw and felt nothing. How did one know they were ready for something like this? She wanted him, that much was undeniable, but she wasn't sure if she loved him. Did she need to? Truthfully she had never thought of Hyuga Neji that way. Perhaps the cold had frozen the part of her brain that allowed her the ability to reason, but she was burning with curiosity and lust so she really couldn't bring herself to care.

"Yes," she said suddenly before she could stop herself.

He gulped and nodded. "I'm sorry if this hurts you. If you need me to, just tell me to stop and I will," he assured her lovingly. He reached down and positioned herself at her opening and then he leaned forward pushing himself into her slowly one inch at a time.

Her mind was screaming at her. _Stop, it hurts!_ It said over and over. This was so not what she was expecting. She bit her lip hard and buried her head against his chest and waited for the whole thing to be over.

Above her he was groaning. _At least one of us is enjoying themselves,_ she thought bitterly. She was having trouble thinking about anything but the pain of the uncomfortable intrusion. When he was finally sheathed fully inside of her he stopped and looked down at her. "Are you ok?" he rasped. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, so she only nodded. He sighed and lifted his weight up onto his elbows and looked down at her.

"You're lying," he said sternly. She looked away and said nothing. "Sakura, look at me please," he half begged. She brought her gaze back up to him and let him see the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she gasped as the tears began to fall.

She felt ashamed. She wanted to be with him, really she did, but she couldn't hide the discomfort. _Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all._

"Don't be," he said bringing a hand up and wiping her eyes gently with his thumbs. He pulled out of her then and she let out a pained cry and he lay next to her cradling her against his chest. "Don't be," he repeated as he leaned over and grabbed the meager blanket and threw it over them.

It was a while before they both fell asleep.

XXXX

That was a few months ago, and ever since she had been doing everything in her power to avoid him, until tonight. Every time she thought about their brief sexual encounter it made her absolutely burn with embarrassment. He must think she was a terrible person. She had said yes, but her body had said no and then she did the most unspeakable and hurtful of things; she had done everything to make sure she never saw him again. It was a very difficult task. There weren't that many skilled trackers amongst her generation and none of them were as skilled as he was. She had been sent out a few times to outside villages on brief medical missions to gather supplies. Tsunade assured her _he_ was best because he could keep her the safest, but she had protested. In the end she had been sent with Kiba, he was a great substitute after all, but that's all he was, a substitute. For someone she had never thought about before, now it seemed she couldn't banish Neji from her thoughts. No matter how much she tried she couldn't seem to get him out of her head. So she had had enough. Tonight she was going to see him, to talk to him, and to apologize.

Finally she reached the edge of the compound and jumped down next to a large beautiful courtyard filled with trees and flowers. There were tall buildings all around, new and pristine. She knew that his family had money, but the flagrant outward show of it made her slightly queasy. She wasn't from a shinobi family, hell she didn't even have a family anymore. Doubt welled up inside of her. What was she doing? Even if he did forgive her, what could she possibly have to hope for? He was the head of his clan, a powerful member of the village, what could he want from her? Well sex obviously, but did he want anything else? Maybe she was wrong to come here. Maybe she should…

"Sakura?" A masculine voice whispered from behind her.

She whipped around sending her pink locks flying around her face. He was there, standing next to a tree his thick dark waves falling past his shoulders. He was naked from the waist up, his bare chest gloriously displayed in the moonlight. He looked groggy and confused as if she had roused him from sleep; she probably had.

Every bit of remaining courage left her and she panicked. "I..I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come," she stuttered and turned to leave.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder and she jumped. She slowly turned and looked up at him. His eyes reflected the soft light from the moon, the eerie glow bearing into her soul. She waited for him to say something, to tell her to leave, to tell her to stay, but he said nothing. _He never was a man of many words, _she thought. _This is so stupid!_ She chastised herself internally, _just say something forehead!_

"I just want to tell you that I'm sorry," she mumbled looking at her feet. "I shouldn't have avoided you after the mission. I was just ashamed and embarrassed, but it's not your fault," she added hastily. "I just couldn't deal with what happened so I did everything I could to just wish it away, but it can't be wished away. I don't know what happened between us that night, but I just want to say that even though I don't regret it, it shouldn't have happened. I should have said no. It's my fault. It was stupid and unprofessional of me and I'm sorry," she said in a rush.

She waited, but still he said nothing. She chanced a look up at him and what she saw made the breath catch in her throat. The look on his face was pained, his beautiful eyes dark and confused as he frowned.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sor…,"

"Stop," he said suddenly.

She looked at him, unable to fight the confused look on her face. Had she said something wrong?

"Stop apologizing Sakura, you didn't do anything wrong. You're right though, it shouldn't have happened on a mission. It was completely unprofessional of both of us, but it was I who initiated the whole thing, not you. So please stop apologizing." He closed his eyes and she saw how his fists were clenched tightly, turning white from the strain. "I'm not stupid," he whispered softly, "I know that you do not love me."

"Ne.." she tried to say, but his eyes flashed open and he interrupted. "Let me finish," he said sternly. "I know that you do not love me, at least not right now, but I could give you so much Sakura. With me you could have a clan and a prosperous life." He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms pressing her against his broad chest, cradling her head. "I could give you anything you wished if you only ask. All I want in return is that you be with me, be loyal, and honest," he whispered into her hair.

For someone who was so stern and composed to suddenly sound so vulnerable almost frightened her. She thought about what he said. He could give her everything she had ever hoped for… but just not with him. He wasn't the one that she always dreamed would give her these things, but did it truly matter? _He_ was never coming back. She couldn't ever truly love the man before her and it pained her to think about it. She was saving her heart for another, but that didn't mean she couldn't give him what he wanted. She could give him loyalty and honesty. She could give him more than that. She could give him respect, adoration, and her body. What else could he want?

"Okay," she said softly. "You can have everything that I am able to give," she whispered leaning into the front of his body.

He pulled back and looked at her, searching her gaze for any untruth. When he found none he smiled a true and genuine smile. He didn't smile very often so she cherished the moment, burning the image into her head. "You can have me Hyuga Neji," she said smiling back at him, "I'm yours."

Neji smiled more deeply. She let out a sharp yelp when he suddenly he lifted her up into his arms.

"What are you doing!?" she cried as he carried her bridal style across the garden up to an open screen and into what she could only assume was a bedroom, _his_ bedroom. Her heart was in her throat as he lay her down gently onto his sleeping mat and lowered himself on top of her, putting his weight onto his elbows on either side of her head. "I would never hurt you," he whispered bringing his hand down to lightly brush his knuckles on the side of her face.

Sakura didn't know what to think, so she didn't. "Kiss me," she said back, and he did.

Like before it started out gentle at first, but then it became more urgent. He let his hands fall to hold her waist as he pressed the lower part of his body against hers and she cried out, loving the friction it caused as they fed at each other's mouths. His hair fell over them in a thick black curtain and she couldn't stop herself from threading her fingers through those soft strands as she rocked against him.

She remembered this feeling, the fire that started low in her body, fanned by their connected mouths. It was like something was boiling inside of her and was trying to bubble over. She felt a tingling sensation between her thighs and she knew her body was getting ready for him as a wetness started to pool between her legs. He brought his hands underneath her shirt then and pulled it over her head in one fluid movement. It forced them to part for a moment and he took advantage of the space to remove the rest of his clothing.

For the first time she looked down at him and it made her cheeks burn. She hadn't actually taken the time to look at him back in the cave, but now that she did she was glad she hadn't. It wasn't the first time she had seen the male anatomy, she had worked in a hospital after all, and Neji's wasn't exactly the largest she had seen, but he certainly was impressive. He wasn't so much long and he was wide and now she didn't question the reason why their first time had been so uncomfortable, besides the fact it had been her first of course.

The side of Neji's mouth lifted into a smirk. "I'll be gentle," he whispered, "I promise."

She looked back to him to see the sincerity in his eyes and nodded. She had no doubts that Neji would be careful with her. He had been so very careful the first time too. Feeling a bit of courage she reached down and took him in her hand and gave a soft squeeze. The action must have been unexpected because he gasped closing his eyes, and his fingers dug into her waist almost painfully. Her curiosity got the better of her and she started to bring her hand up and down experimentally watching as his lips parted and he began to breathe deeply.

Encouraged, she picked up her speed a bit letting his flesh slide against her hand more quickly in long languid strokes and smiled when he started to gently thrust into her hand. Becoming bolder, she brought her thumb over the tip of him, feeling a slight wetness, and rubbed slow agonizing circles around the head of him. He cried out then, his eyes snapping open, and he stared at her with lust hooded gaze. His eyes then flashed to her bare chest and before she could protest, he ducked his head and latched onto her nipple and sucked.

Shocks of pleasure shot down her body to her burning core and she bucked against his body. The action caused her to press his, now fully erect, manhood against her bare stomach and it caused them both to groan. She let him go and he pressed himself more forcefully against her chest as he began to lay soft kisses on both her breasts before licking a long slow line against the underside curve of the left while forcefully grabbing the other. She was bucking against him now like a wonton creature trying to do anything to relieve her aching desire.

"Neji, please!" she cried out.

He grinned against her flesh and then took her nipple into his mouth, flecking his tongue across it in slow circles. She practically screamed and arched her back off of the mat. Her mind was so clouded she barely registered the fact that she was no longer wearing her skirt, and her panties had been completely discarded.

He was no longer even with her chest, but now was resting his weight on his elbows on either side of her head, settling himself between her legs. She looked up to find him looking at her with lust and some other emotion that she couldn't quite decipher. His breath was coming out in pants like hers and his hair was staring to mat slightly against his moist forehead.

"Are you sure," he asked, echoing the exact same words he had said to her that night in the cave.

"Make love to me Neji," she whispered, leaning up to capture his lips with hers.

He made no reply as he took himself in his hand and rubbed his painfully erect member against her dripping folds, coating himself in her liquid desire. She cried out as he made contact with her sensitive clit, bucking against him, trying to force him inside. He stilled her by pressing her waist back onto the mat and brought his gaze back up to stare her in the eyes. _Are you ready?_ He asked silently with his eyes. She lost herself in his milky gaze, trying to show as much adoration for him as possible, and cried out as he thrust into her suddenly to the hilt.

She started to whimper as she breathed through her mouth trying to relearn how to breathe. He brought a hand up and started to smooth her hair out of her face while making soothing noises and kissing her forehead as he waited for her to adjust.

It was a strange feeling, the pain was still there, but only slightly. More than anything the intrusion caused a sore fullness that felt better than it had before, but was still uncomfortable. He leaned down and kissed her and she allowed him to explore her mouth completely, swallowing her whimpers and protesting noises. As he deepened the kiss she allowed her hands to wander over his back trailing feather light circles across his flesh with her fingertips. Eventually she adjusted to the soreness and a new felling began build in her lower body, but he still did not move.

She groaned in frustration and brought a leg up and hooked it over his waist causing him to push deeper inside of her and they both moaned. Now given permission, he slowly pulled out of her inch by inch before plunging back inside of her quick and hard. It only took him a few tries before he turned his movements into a slow hard rhythm that had her mind spinning and her body screaming with a pleasure she had never felt before.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that someone was moaning loud and deep and she was surprised to find that it was her. She bucked her hips experimentally then and cried out at the sensation as it forced him even deeper. He groaned and suddenly reached down and picked her up into his arms as he stood and carried her to the wall, still sheathed inside of her.

He pushed her against the cold hard surface and she gave a cry of protest when her head hit the wall. He didn't seem to realize because in the next moment he lifted her legs around his waist again, cupping his hands under her ass to hold her weight, and he was pounding into her as hard and fast as he could, her back braced against the wall holding her in place. Her mind was reeling in pleasure and she brought a hand up to hold onto something, anything, as she tried to adjust to his new speed.

He noticed her reaching out and brought his own hand up to hold hers above her head pinning it against the wall, and moved the other over his shoulder while he attacked her neck with his mouth and teeth.

He suddenly felt the need to own her, to mark her and make her his. Without thinking he took her sweet flesh of her neck into his mouth and bit down as hard as he dared until he tasted blood. The hot coppery liquid filled his mouth and he swallowed instinctively and it made him gag. Beneath him Sakura screamed and raked her fingernails across his back painfully drawing his own blood in return.

Something about their love making had nothing to do with love and everything to do with possession and need, their pain turning to pleasure as the desperation built higher and higher.

Suddenly she felt a strange tension starting to build low in her body as everything started to become too much. It sent a sense of urgency through her and she gasped out in frustration or anticipation, she wasn't quite sure which. "Ne..ji," she panted over and over again as he thrust in and out of her in an almost frantic pace. She needed something, anything, to release the coil that was wound so tightly within her. She reached out then knotting his thick dark hair in her hands and brought his mouth down forcibly against her own tasting her own blood in his mouth.

It was exactly what she needed. For a moment the sensation frightened her as the desperation reached its peak, and then the coil snapped and the world exploded around her, causing her vision to go completely white, while she arched her back and screamed.

XXXXX

Neji watched as the beautiful creature in front of him lost herself to an orgasm he created and groaned at the sensation of her pulsating wetly around his member, coaxing him to follow her into bliss. Truthfully he was surprised he had held out this long. He pounded into her mercilessly then, savoring the way she screamed his name over and over, but cried out when he suddenly lost his rhythm and exploding inside of her.

He moaned her name as he placed his forehead against the wall behind her letting the cold surface cool his aching head as he gently pushed in and out of her to prolong the sensation for both of them. When he was finished, the world was spinning and he realized he couldn't hold her up anymore. He opened his mouth to tell her as much but the strain became too much, and before he could help it, he lost his footing and they both cried out as and they tumbled to the ground.

He caught her as he landed on his knees painfully taking her weight. She landed with an indignant _oomph_ and then stared up into his shocked face and began to giggle. "That was, well it was…wow," she said barely being able to contain her laughter.

The reaction confused him, he didn't quite understand why she was laughing, but decided it must be her way of releasing emotion and just smiled at her. He gazed at her happy face but when his gaze met the side of her neck he frowned. There, beneath her earlobe, was a set of angry teeth marks that were seeping blood. He reached up and touched the wound gently and his frowned deepened when she abruptly stopped laughing and hissed in pain.

"I've hurt you," he said sorrowfully. "It was not my intention, I'm sorry I got so carried away."

She brought her hand up and healed the mark easily and shrugged. Then she brought a hand behind his back and touched it softly. He resisted the urge to hiss in pain as she did, but his breath hitched and she noticed. "I'm sorry too," she whispered against his mouth as she healed his marks as well.

In that moment his heart swelled. She wasn't afraid of him. She still wanted to be with him and didn't seem to regret their coupling. It was more than he could have hoped for. "Thank you," he whispered. For a moment he pondered whether or not he could lift her to his mat, but decided that he rather not try and embarrass himself in front of the woman he loved. The thought startled him. He loved her. He loved her, but he dare not tell her because he knew she did not feel the same. He did not want her to tell him as much, so he decided to remain silent. Slowly he lifted himself to his feet and offered a hand down to her. He might not be able to lift her into his arms, but he was still a gentleman, so he smiled when she allowed him to lift her to her feet and they both walked to his mat together.

He couldn't believe how incredibly tired he was. He had never done anything remotely like what they had just done, and it seemed like his entire body was screaming for sleep… and a shower, but he would take care of that later when he was positive he could stand properly. He pulled her down onto his mat next to him and his heart soared when she pressed her back against his body, snuggling up to him as close as she could. He reached down then and pulled up a sheet over their bodies. He thought maybe she would want him to say something to her, women were like that weren't they? They always seemed to need some sort of emotional validation or assurance. He was confused, but slightly pleased when he realized that she had fallen asleep almost immediately and sighed in content as he laid his chin against the top of her pretty pink head.

It was strange how his feelings for her had crept up on him. He had been watching her for a while now. He had been carefully making his decision on which woman in the village he would pursue for marriage, and Sakura had just suddenly came to his attention one day after a long afternoon of training. The moment he saw her destroy half a mountain with her monstrous strength he knew there was something more to her than her exotic looks and foul temper. Then when he saw her amazing chakra control and her wondrous medical abilities he decided he would have her to be his. He knew with enough patience and determination she would come to him, but what he couldn't have foreseen was how much he would grow to care for and eventually love her. Where his emotion was not completely unwelcome, it did indicate a sign of weakness on his part that he was not completely comfortable with. He wondered if he was foolish, loving a girl that so obviously loved another, however he was certain that his feelings for her somehow helped progress their relationship, so he couldn't be too unhappy considering the results. If this night was any indication, she was going to be an amazing lover, wife, and eventually mother to his children. He had made the right choice, he could just feel it. Now, he only had to convince her of his plans.

He smiled, content that all his plans were falling into place, and then he slowly drifted to sleep.

XXXXX

"Cousin! Cousin! Please wake up cousin!"

Neji groaned and was only momentarily surprised to hear a softer more feminine groan next to him. His eyes snapped open and he grinned in satisfaction when the pink haired beauty next to him turned and regarded him with a smile on her face.

"Good morning, Neji-kun," she said as she blushed prettily beside him.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," he replied. He lifted her chin and captured her lips with his own and smirked when she brought her arms around him to pull him closer. The kiss was chaste and sweet, but her wondering hands were not when they suddenly made contact with his morning arousal. He sucked in a breath as she took his member in her hand and started to stroke him gently. Suddenly there was a voice and he realized why they had awoken.

"Cousin! I must talk to you," the voice cried.

He groaned in frustration. "Hinata-sama, I can hear you. I am awake, but cannot come to the door. Is there something I can help you with?" He croaked out over Sakura's head as she quickened her pace, her strong hands pumping around his now painfully swollen member. He groaned when she placed her lips on his neck and began to kiss her way up his throat and licked the space behind his ear. He allowed her to continue her ministrations as he brought a hand to her hip and slowly began to play circles with his fingertips across her skin moving his way down till her reached her hot center and groaned when he found her wet and ready for him.

"Is everything alright cousin?" Hinata asked, her voice lifting in concern.

Neji had a moment of panic and embarrassment. Perhaps she could hear him and Sakura in their morning activities. He strained to control his breathing and voice as he placed a finger over his lips indicating Sakura to not make any noise.

"Yes, I am fine Hinata-sama, thank you for your concern. Is there something I can help you with?" He asked, biting his lip to keep from making a noise that would betray their activities.

"Of course cousin, I do not mean to disturb you, but I thought you should know. Naruto has contacted me to tell me that there is great news!" Hinata cried happily behind his door.

His interest piqued but was distracted when suddenly Sakura pushed at his shoulder and rolled him over onto his back. He let out a noise in surprise, but his eyes widened when suddenly she rolled on top of him and shoved herself onto his stiff arousal causing him to cry out in pleasure.

"Neji, what was that?" a nervous voice asked behind his door.

"Nothing!" he squeaked and immediately cringed, scowling at the girl on top of him. She only smiled and she brought her hands down to explore the muscle on his chest as she ground her hips on top of him.

Yes, he had definitely made the right decision. He only hoped that he could wake every morning with such a beautiful and strong kunoichi hot and ready for him. He may be a calm powerful shinobi, but he was also very much a man.

He lifted himself then to a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her back and shoved her down as hard as he could impaling her more deeply. Above him Sakura threw back her head in a silent cry, for which he was grateful, and began to bounce more quickly up and down. He watched in fascination as she used his body to thrust in and out of her own in a hard rhythm, her hands fisting in his hair in a not entirely unpleasant way. He brought her face down for a kiss and smirked when she moaned softly in the back of her throat.

"Cousin," Hinata interrupted, "Naruto tells me that Uchiha Sasuke has returned to the village! There are people gathering around the Hokage's office now to see him and learn of his fate. They are saying he might be forgiven and allowed back into the village," she said, barely able to control her excitement.

Above him Sakura froze, her eyes going wide. "Sasuke," she whispered. Her eyes suddenly lost their light as she stared off into the distance as if she were focusing on a memory only she could see. Neji watched her worriedly as she suddenly snapped back into reality. She paled and looked at him with what could only be seen as horror.

"Sakura?" He whispered.

She threw herself off of him then and he watched as she scrambled for her clothing and threw it on quickly. Then his heart restricted painfully in his chest as she flew out his screen door leading into the Hyuga compound without so much as glancing back.

"Isn't that wonderful cousin?!" Hinata cried happily, barely able to control her enthusiasm, from behind his closed door completely oblivious to the sounds of his heart breaking.

Neji said nothing as he stared dumbly at his open screen door after the pink haired girl that had just left him behind. He really was just a poor substitute wasn't he? Perhaps he was just a fool all along.

XXXX

So what do you think? Remember I don't get paid so reviews are my currency. Also, this is my first lemon ever. I waited till the end to tell you so you wouldn't hit that back button. So what do you think?  
>I 3 U, so please review!<p>

-Cricket

Ps. Thank you all for your encouragement! I've made a sequel just for you!


	2. Chapter 2

**A Poor Substitute Ch.2**

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto… obviously. I'm not making any money off of this story, so don't sue please and thank you.

Author's note: This is technically a sequel to my one shot 'A Poor Substitute'. I originally wasn't going to write a sequel, but because of all the wonderful reviews and PM's I decided to finish it. I really hope it lives up to all of your expectations. Also this story is self-edited and may contain some mistakes, specifically grammar. Please feel free to PM me and I'll try to fix them as soon as possible.

WARNING: This rest of this story is mostly just fluff. For a gratuitous lemon please go to my first chapter. With that being said, this chapter is rated M for mature themes and language. Please only read if you are of legal age. You have been warned. Let us all assume all characters in this story is of legal age. I would think of them at around 20 or so.

XXXX

Sakura was running. Her heart was in her throat as she threw herself from building to building. Hadn't she just done this last night? _Last night_. Oh kami, what had she done? The memories made her face burn, the heat causing her cheeks to turn red in embarrassment. She was suddenly very glad the fresh breeze was blowing past her cooling her hot skin.

How cruel was fate that _he_ would return the night after she had given herself to another man for the… second time? But did it matter? He was back, Sasuke was back! Her heart soared with happiness. Finally they could be a team again and she could have her family back. Then her heart plummeted into her stomach as a feeling of fear and dread filled her up to the brim as if she were a cup.

Sasuke was back. Suddenly all the happiness she thought those words would once hold dissipated completely. Why did he come back? Had someone brought him or had he come of his own volition? Had he changed? In many ways she hopped he had. The very last she saw him he had tried to kill her when she was fifteen. _Please Kami let him have changed,_ she hopped.

She landed gracefully on the edge to Tsunade's office and peeked through the window. Inside she saw her Shishou's back as she pounded her fists onto her desk, the wood trembling from the strain. She was obviously yelling as her blond hair bounced around her head madly. Past her was Kakashi, looking as lazy as ever, but she saw the tension in his shoulders and down his back. Next to him she saw Naruto, his eyes wild complaining about something no doubt. Then her heart restricted painfully in her chest. Next to Naruto stood _him._ He was even taller than she remembered. His dark hair was as wild as ever and she noticed the sharp angles of his face were more pronounced, his nose more pointed, and his lips were fuller. _He's still as beautiful as ever,_ she fumed. It just wasn't fair. Men shouldn't be allowed to be prettier than woman.

She gasped then as his gaze suddenly snapped to meet hers, his Sharingan activating instantly. She stood there watching him watch her a moment before she took a deep breath hiding behind a calm façade, and schooled her features to give nothing away. She rose from her crouch on the window seal, swung the window open, and stepped into the office, closing the widow behind her with a loud snap.

Tsunade swung herself around in her chair. "And you!" the Hogake barked pointing the tip of her sake bottle at her pink haired apprentice. "You're just as bad as he is," she said grumpily pointing to Kakashi. "Haven't ever heard of a door for Kami's sake?"

Sakura bowed respectively. "Forgive me shishou, I was woken suddenly with the news and was in a hurry," she said in a calm calculated voice as her long pink hair fell around her face like a curtain. She really wished she could have taken a shower before she came, her hair was still slightly tousled from sex and sleep. She could only hope they wouldn't notice.

She walked forward then making an effort not to look at any of her teammates as she wedged herself between Kakashi and Naruto, noting the blonde's nervous nod as she stepped up beside him. Naruto kept his head forward, but raised an eyebrow looking at her sideways. "Just woke up? But I just went to your apartment and you weren't there," he whispered under his breath.

Inside her head she was screaming for him to shut the hell up as she fought not to blush, outwardly she smirked and replied, "I never said I woke up in _my_ apartment baka, did I? I came as quickly as I could after I heard. Now drop it," she said, mentally awarding herself a million brownie points for keeping her cool.

Beside her he visibly stiffened. She noticed in her peripheral vision Kakashi and Sasuke's heads both whipped to the side to look at her. She could feel their gazes bearing into the side of her head, but thankfully they said nothing.

Tsunade cleared her throat. "As I was saying Uchiha. You can't just expect me to turn a blind eye to your obvious treachery to this village. I should have you hanged for what you have done."

She more or less saw him look back to the Hokage, and then he spoke. "As I have said Hokage-sama, I understand the implications of my actions and I accept the consequences of them willingly. However, there were extenuating circumstances and I only ask that you show the greatest extent of your leniency and take into account what I have said, as well as consider what I have to offer this village." His sweet voice stopped and Sakura was grateful. How was it that hearing his voice seemed to melt her heart right out of her chest? She felt pained and hopeful all at the same time.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Pretty words for such a filthy traitor," she said and then sighed. "However like you said, there were extenuating circumstances of your defection which I cannot ignore." She regarded him with a smirk as she took another swig from her sake bottle, completely ignoring the small porcelain cup next to it, and drummed her fingers on the top of her desk. They stared at each other until finally she spoke. "Look, I'm going to be blunt with you Uchiha. I should kill you where you stand for not only leaving this village and joining that snake, but for causing your teammates the pain of losing their dear friend as well…"

"Tsunade-sama," Kakashi said stepping forward trying to intervene.

She brought her hand up stiffly to quiet him. "But we, the village, need your bloodline. The Sharingan is too precious to let it die with you. Unfortunately," she said quite nastily. She stood pushing a paper across her desk in his direction. "Congratulations Uchiha Sasuke, you'll be allowed to live a free man as long as you breed and don't make a nuisance of yourself. I wish you the best of luck."

They all regarded the busty woman with wide eyes. Sasuke reached forward and took the paper in his hand and looked at it. He read it over carefully and then looked up at her with venom in his eyes. "It says here that my chakra will be sealed for an unspecified time until the Hokage is assured of my loyalties. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked in disgust.

She raised an eyebrow but then smirked. "For someone so smart Uchiha, I figured you would understand. You can come back to the village. We will allow you to rebuild your clan and live a relatively normal life, but you will not be a ninja, not until we're sure you're not going to go around and start killing our people or plotting against us."

He stared at her, the shock and horror plain on his features. "You honestly think that I would agree with this?" He snarled, his features distorted in disgust. How pretty he looked when he was angry Sakura noted.

Tsunade's honey eyes darkened as she stood. "You don't have to agree with it, as a matter of fact I don't care whether you do or not. The choice is up to you Uchiha. Come back to the village. Reclaim your land and fortune and rebuild your clan with clipped wings, or fly free little butterfly and I will have you hunted down and killed faster than you can say 'tiger swallowtail'," she said with a knowing smirk on her face. She was testing him. She knew he would accept the offer; it was far too good to pass up.

Sasuke was practically shaking in anger. "Fine," he fumed, shoving the paper into his pocket forcefully.

"Genma!" the Hokage cried suddenly making them all jump.

Out of nowhere a tall Jonin with medium length soft brown hair appeared in front of them all. "Yes Hokage-sama?" The senbon wielder said going down on one knee in front of her.

"Find me Hyuga Neji and bring him here," she said before she sat back down at her desk. She no longer neglected the small white cup and poured herself a shot of sake. Genma only nodded and teleported away in a poof of white smoke.

Sakura's eyes went wide. _Oh no, not him. Not now, please Kami not now._ She mentally pleaded, but there was nothing she could do. She stood and waited with the others until he arrived.

XXXX

As he walked in, Neji regarded the five people in front of him curiously as he made his way into the Hokage's office. Then his eyes found hers and he stopped dead in his tracks. She was regarding him carefully, a sad and nervous look in her eyes. He wasn't sure what the look meant but he decided to ignore it completely until he had more time and privacy to look into the matter. He walked past her without a second glance up to the desk where his Hokage was sitting, her feet propped up on the edge.

"You called for me Lady Hokage," he said courteously bowing his head slightly.

"Yes," she said seriously, putting her feet back to the floor. She leaned over then and interlaced her fingers in front of her, resting her elbows on the top of the desk. "I have something I need you to do Hyuga," she said simply.

"Of course, anything my Hokage wishes." His curiosity piqued, but he was careful to keep his expression controlled, like he always did.

"Hyuga, you don't seem to be surprised to see Uchiha Sasuke standing before you, why is that I wonder?" She said suddenly pouring the last of a bottle of sake into the small cup on her desk.

He resisted the urge to wrinkle his nose in disgust at her obvious unprofessional behavior. Speaking of unprofessional behaviors, perhaps he shouldn't throw stones considering the cause of his stood only five feet from him. "Lady Hinata woke me this morning and told me Hokage-sama," he said watching as her eyes lit up and she threw the contents of her cup back swallowing and then hissed.

"Indeed?" she mused. "Well, Sasuke here will be permitted to stay in this village with a condition of probation. That's where you come in Hyuga. I would like you to seal Sasuke's chakra, not permanently mind you, just until I decided he is not dangerous to this village."

Inside Neji was fuming. How dare she let this traitorous rat live in the very village he abandoned and so obviously hated. His loyalty was not only suspect it was nonexistent. Sometimes he wished the old bat of a Hokage would drink herself to death so they could find a real Hokage to replace her with. He wasn't entirely opposed to Hatake Kakashi or Naruto becoming their new leader. Hatake was strong and intelligent, a child prodigy everyone called him, and if he could get over his complete lack of ambition he would be perfect. Naruto on the other hand was not only strong, he was loyal to a fault. If he was being completely honest with himself, he was attracted to the idea of him being Hokage mostly because he was almost positive that his cousin would marry him one day. To have a Hokage in the family, the thought made his blood bubble with excitement. Then his family would assuredly become the most influential in the village. Uchiha was still a respected name, but Uchiha or not, Sasuke was still a rat traitor and people would remember this at least as long as he was alive. It was likely that in time the people in Konoha would be forgiving of his defection, but they would never forget. Inwardly Neji smirked.

He brought his thoughts back to the current blond Hokage in front of him who was waiting for an answer. What could he say? So he said the only thing he could, "Of course, as my Hokage wishes." He bowed and then turned to face Sasuke. It was the first time he actually looked at the traitor and he couldn't stop the anger flashing in his eyes. He was the reason why his morning had turned from pleasant to confusing and possibly heart breaking. _This_ was the man his Sakura had left him for this morning? He let his eyes trail over his ratty hair and dirty clothes before looking up to look into his cold dark eyes. _You disgust me,_ he said with his own, looking at the other man daring him to say something.

Sasuke scowled as Neji stepped forward and focused his chakra into his palms. Then without warning his hands flashed forward and struck the dark eyed defector, a little more forcibly than was necessary he'll admit, at his chakra points effectively sealing off the correct chakra pathways. When he was done he couldn't help but smile when he saw the look of pain on the Uchiha's face. With more than a little satisfaction he turned back to the Hokage sitting behind him.

"Will there be anything else Hokage-sama?"

She looked at the paled eyed jounin and then over his head to the Uchiha behind him. "That will be all, thank you Neji."

He bowed and turned to head out the door but stopped in front of his pink haired blossom and smiled cruelly. _Is this what you have left me for?_ He said without saying, letting the accusation fill his eyes. Her face visibly drained of its color and she looked away. Then he frowned. Why was she looking away? Was it in shame? Well this was unsettling. He didn't want to push her away, he wanted to show her that he was but a better choice than the rat Uchiha. In his confusion he reached forward until his hand almost brushed her soft pink head, but stopped when he realized what he was doing and let his hand drop back to his side. He stepped away then and walked through the door silently hoping that she would seek him out after she was finished with her business here.

Please don't let her avoid him like she had before, he didn't think he could take it again.

XXXX

The door snapped shut and he was gone. Sakura let out a sigh and looked back into the room to find everyone looking at her strangely. "What?" she asked in alarm.

Tsunade stood then and walked around the desk to stand in front of it and smiled. "Well it looks like we're done here. Welcome back runt, no go forth and multiply, preferably out of my sight."

They all stared at her as if she were insane, but nodded and all turned to leave. Once they were standing outside the office it was Naruto who broke first. "Teme!" he cried suddenly clapping Sasuke on the back. The Uchiha growled as he brought a hand to his chest trying to relearn how to breathe.

"Damn it Dobe!" he growled.

Kakashi stepped forward and clapped his dark haired student on the back, a bit more gently than Naruto had, and smiled. "I'm glad your back. I hope you realize the extent of your actions and how they've affected us all, but welcome back Sasuke-kun." His lazy eyes stared into those of his student with the words he could not bring himself to say. _You hurt us, you betrayed us, we loved you and you threw us away like cannon fodder…._The tension was growing thick and uncomfortable until their grey haired sensei coughed bringing them all back to reality. "Perhaps we should all go out to lunch to celebrate?" He asked hesitantly.

Naruto jumped up and cheered. "Yes! Let's get Ramen!" His eyes were bright with excitement and Sasuke smirked. "Still very much the idiot aren't you Dobe?" He asked.

"You're just excited you get to have some real food," the blond said excitedly. "Bet you didn't have anything half as good with that snake bastard or on the road did you Teme?"

"Ramen is not real food baka," Sakura scoffed rolling her eyes. All of them turned to her suddenly as if only just remembering that she was there. She looked at them, her emerald eyes going wide, and stared back like a deer in the headlights. "Well it's not…" she grumbled indignantly folding her arms over her chest.

Naruto frowned. "Sakura-chan, how did you know Sasuke was back?" he asked seriously.

"Hinata told me," she said simply before she could stop herself, and watched Naruto's expression scrunch in confusion.

"I went over to HInata's earlier this morning after I couldn't find you at home, and then I immediately came here. How did Hinata find you so quickly?" He asked curiously.

Sakura turned a shade of pink that matched her hair.

"I think the better question would be," a voice drawled to her side and it made her jump, "why were you over at Hinata's so early in the morning?" Sasuke said crossing his arms over his chest. Her head snapped up and she glared at him unable to say anything. He smirked, knowing that somehow he was closer to the truth than she wanted him to be.

This was it. She was finally getting her chance to welcome him back, and to tell him how she felt and it was being ruined by her embarrassment. She waited for the swell of happiness and emotion she usually felt for him to well up in her chest, but it just didn't come. In fact another emotion started to creep through her system.

"Well Sakura? You wouldn't happened to have hopped the fence, as it were, in my absence have you?" He mused, the side of his mouth lifting into his signature Uchiha smirk.

"Bastard! What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she seethed. Ah, that's what that emotion was, anger. An anger she hadn't felt in a long time boiled through her veins and she clenched her fists repeatedly. Did he just insinuate she and Hinata were a couple?

Sensing the tension between the two Kakashi stepped forward. "Now now you two, please don't let this get out of hand."

Naruto looked at her with a look of confusion. "You alright Sakura-chan?" he asked tentatively.

"Go on without us, Sasuke and I have some things to work out," she said low under her breath, "alone."

No one said anything as they all stood there looking at her in surprise, but eventually Kakashi nodded and grabbed the protesting Kyubi container by the back of the neck and dragged him off down the hall as he complained the entire way.

XXXX

Sasuke watched as they disappeared down the hallway and when he turned back his eyes widened in surprise a moment before a fist connected painfully against his cheek. All the air left his body as he gasped in surprise, and his face snapped to the side. When he could breathe again, he took in long breaths through his nose a few times before he spat blood onto the floor in a sticky red mass. He looked back up at her then and scowled.

"What the_ fuck_ was that for?!" he snarled cradling his sore cheek in his hand. "I thought you'd be happy to see me Saukra-_chan_," he sneered, stepping forward until their noses were almost touching. "After all you get what you've always wanted. _Me_."

"You think quite highly of yourself don't you?" She scowled in disgust staring into his dark arrogant eyes.

"Do I?" His eyes flashed and he smirked. He stepped up to her, invading her personal space, and walked them forward till her back was pressed against the wall behind her. "Aw, you hurt my feelings Sakura, but wait," he said tapping a finger against his lips in a mock pensive gesture. "Wasn't it you who threw yourself at me before I left?" he teased, putting his hands on the wall on either side of her head. "Wasn't it you who told me you would do _anything_ for me if I were to only stay?" He leaned forward until his weight was pressed against the front of her body making his point quite clear. She was surprised to find how warm he was, one wouldn't have been able to guess from his frosty demeanor. "Now's your chance Sakura-chan," he breathed leaning forward till their lips were only centimeters apart.

This was _not _how she imagined things happening. She and Naruto were supposed to bring him back and they were supposed to be friends again, a family again. He was supposed to see her and realize how powerful and beautiful she'd become and want her, but not like this. He was supposed to apologize and ask her if there was anything he could do and beg for her forgiveness. She had gone over all these scenarios in her head imaging how she wanted things to go. Why was everything going wrong? A sharp sadness shot through her then. She should have known the difference between reality and fantasy. The Sasuke she wanted in her head was only a dream. Kami, she really was just a fool wasn't she?

Sasuke watched the emotions as they flashed behind her pretty emerald eyes. "Or perhaps you don't want me anymore. Is that it, Sakura-chan?" He asked breathing his words across her lips. "You heard the Hokage, I need to rebuild my clan. It's something I've always wanted. Don't you want to be the one that I want, the one I _need_?"

He brought his lips against the side of her neck softly and she jumped. She felt him smirk against her skin as he brought his hands down to her waist and pinned her between the wall and his body, rolling his hips forward and she bit her lip to repress a moan. Then her anger soared once again. He was playing her. _Bastard!_

"I know what you need Sasuke, and it isn't me. Even if I agreed, what would I happen to get in return hmm?" She asked hotly staring past him over his shoulder, trying to control her anger. "A foul, chakra repressed, traitor of a husband who would use me like some sort of broodmare? No thank you Sasuke-kun," she purred sarcastically, "I think I'll pass."

His head snapped back in surprise and he scowled in anger. "Who was it?" he asked suddenly.

The question caught her off guard. "Who was who?" she asked, genuine surprise in her voice.

"Who was it you fucked that changed your mind so?"

Sakura stared blankly at him, blinking her surprise. Then the anger returned, hot and scalding, washing through her veins. "How dare you! I'm not _fucking _anyone, and even if I was it's none of your business." She snarled trying to control her temper.

"Is that so?" he asked, smiling cruelly. He leaned more heavily against her and she gasped when she felt him hot and thick against the front of her skirt. "Why is it you reek of sex and sweat that isn't yours then, Sa-ku-ra?" He said, his voice going down an octave as his breath teased against her mouth.

He pulled back enough that she could see into his black eyes as they bore into hers intensely. She trailed her gaze down his cheek, noticing the subtle swell and red coloration where she had hit him. She continued her gaze downwards and then settled on his lips. She hated him, but he was wrong, she still wanted him and he knew it. Before she could stop what she was doing, she rushed forward and crashed her lips against his with a bruising intensity. Sasuke's eyes widened a moment before they closed completely and he groaned deep in his throat. She threw herself upon him, wrapping her hands around his neck and jumped to wrap her legs around his waist as she attacked his mouth. His arms immediately flew beneath her ass instinctively as he pressed her against the wall to keep them both from falling, but he did not break the kiss, he intensified it.

He didn't wait for her to give him permission. He grabbed her face with one of his hands and forcefully pushed his tongue into her mouth exploring what was rightfully his. She was sweet and musky with a confusing under taste of blood, but there was something else he tasted too, something that was not her. He growled and brought his hand up and fisted her pink hair pulling backwards sharply and smirked when she cried out. Her head was pulled back at what looked like a painful angle, and he attacked her throat forcefully grinding himself against her, liking the way she panted and groaned against his body.

"Do you like that Sakura?" he rasped, taking an earlobe between his teeth, biting until she cried out for him to stop. "Tell me who it was," he commanded as he lifted her skirt, bunching it around her waist exposing her creamy backside clad only in some scant cotton fabric. She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off suddenly, biting the column of her throat marking her as he ground his arousal against her again harshly. She cried out in pain or pleasure, he wasn't sure which. _His_, she was _his_, she had told him as much many years ago. _That wasn't something you just take back_, he thought viciously.

In the back of her mind her inner self was telling her this was bad, but she couldn't quite make sense of it as Sasuke forced his hand up her shirt and found her breasts. He grabbed her flesh, kneading with bruising force while his thumb started slow harsh circles around her nipple causing her breath to hitch in her throat. _This was all wrong. Things were going too quickly. They needed to stop. They were in the middle of a hallway for Kami's sake!_

The sound of a zipper brought her back to her senses and she snapped her gaze downwards as his hand fumbled to release himself from his fly. _He was going to fuck her right here in the hallway!_ She thought frantically. "Sasuke, no!" she cried bringing her hand down to stop him as he freed his purchase and pushed her underwear to the side angling himself near her opening. She couldn't do this; they couldn't do this. Not here and especially not like this. Especially not with him! He batted her hand away and trapped it behind her head while leaning forward sliding past her folds. She cried out when he made contact with her sensitive clit, but couldn't thrust into her. She wasn't wet enough for what he wanted to do.

He growled sensing the reason for his hindrance, and brought his hand that was holding hers down and began rubbing slow circles over her sweet nub of flesh and she moaned loud and deep in her chest, not being able to stop the reaction. If she didn't stop things soon, she was going to be ready enough for what he wanted to do whether she wanted him to or not. In a panic she brought her hands to his hair and threaded her fingers down to his roots and pulled just enough to let him know she meant to hurt him. He growled and smiled, obviously misinterpreting her actions.

"Sasuke stop or I swear I'll hurt you!" She cried out frantically feeling a warm tingle between her legs. She cursed her body for not obeying her mind.

"Then tell me who it was," He snarled and brought her hips forward off the wall a bit to better the angle. The tip of him entered her but couldn't go much further and they both cried out; her in distress and him in frustration.

"Sasuke let go!" She shrieked, tears coming to the corner of her eyes as her chest heaved. She didn't want to do this, but he wasn't listening. She started to focus chakra into her free hand behind his neck. She would break his arm, hell even his neck, if she had to.

"Who was it?!" He yelled, and then in one harsh movement he snapped his hips forward and another inch entered her. She threw her head back and screamed clawing at his back, shoving at him and arching against the wall behind her.

"Me," a voice said suddenly. It startled him and he turned to see a pair of white eyes smoldering with anger. That's when a fist came out of nowhere and everything went black.

XXXX

*Throws hands up in a defensive gesture* I know please don't hate me. Who thought that Sasuke was really going to rape Sakura? *raises hand guiltily*, but then I realized I couldn't do that. Hopefully I haven't offended you Sasuke fans too bad. The story gets much more light and fluffy from here on out. At first I had an 11k chapter to finish the story, but then I decided to break it into two parts. Lucky for you I'm posting the next chapter immediately. Like it, love it, hate it? Let me know.

I 3 U so please review

-Cricket


	3. Chapter 3

**A Poor Substitute **

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto… obviously. I'm not making any money off of this story, so don't sue please and thank you.

Author's note: This is the final chapter and finale to my story 'A Poor Substitute'. I originally wasn't going to write a sequel (It was supposed to end with ch.1), but because of all the wonderful reviews and PM's I decided to finish it. I really hope it lives up to all of your expectations. Also this story is self-edited and may contain some mistakes. Please feel free to PM me and I'll try to fix them as soon as possible.

WARNING: This chapter is mostly just fluff. For a gratuitous lemon please go to my first chapter. With that being said, this chapter is rated M for mature themes and language. Please only read if you are of legal age. You have been warned. Let us all assume everyone in this story is of legal age. I would think of them at around 20 or so.

XXXXX

Sakura watched as Sasuke's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell to the floor like a dead weight, sending them both slumping to the ground with him on top of her. She took in gulps of air and looked around Sasuke's head and stared up into beautiful white eyes in shame and surprise. He was positively fuming, his anger crackling off of him like unseen sparks.

Carefully Neji rolled the unconscious body of the Uchiha to the side and held a hand down to her. She grabbed it thankfully and used the wall and his hand to push herself to her feet while sliding her skirt back down over her thighs.

"Are you okay?" He asked, watching as she gaped at him and the unconscious man at their feet.

She brought a hand up and ran it through her long pink hair and then smoothed down her shirt and skirt. "Y..Yeah, I guess so," she said, but then she started to shake. Her teeth chattered and her limbs shook as if she was cold, but she wasn't really, at least not on the outside. Inside her mind felt like it was frozen and as cold as ice. _What the hell just happened?_ She thought numbly. She jumped when she felt a hand touch her shoulder scaring them both and he pulled back as if she had burned him.

"You're not okay," he said finally, "You're shaking."

_Always one to point out the obvious_, she thought. _I'm fine. I'm okay. Nothing wrong here, just my childhood friend and crush tried to…. _She couldn't bring herself to think the word. She started to shake her head over and over. "No, It's okay. I.. thank you Neji," is what she said aloud.

He reached forward then suddenly and grabbed her face and forced her to look at him, staring into her frightened eyes. They were dull and lifeless all spark gone completely. He trailed his gaze downwards and frowned at her pale lips and chattering teeth. "You're lying," he said simply. He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms and pulled her to his chest. She pushed at him for a moment, but eventually she stopped and became completely immobile, and then she began to cry.

Once again he didn't know what to do as he held her to him. He himself was shaking a bit from adrenaline and anger as his heart threatened to tear itself out of his chest. He came back to talk to her, or at least ask to see her later, but what he saw had surprised him. At first his anger had welled up deep within him as he saw her kissing him with such passion, but then something changed. He listened as she told him no, and his heart soared. Maybe she wouldn't want the Uchiha after all. Then everything changed and he watched in growing alarm when she started to become frantic and the Uchiha did not stop like she asked. He wondered why she didn't just push him away or hit him, but then he was entering her and she was screaming, and his world boiled over with anger and fear and he saw red. He had to act, he had to do something, and now he was glad he did. What would have happened had he not intervened? He shuttered at the thought.

Now as he stared down at her he didn't know what to do and it frightened him. Hitting the rat traitor had been easy, comforting the sobbing girl in his arms was more difficult. Why was it that his chest was hurting him so? Why did his heart feel like it physically pained him?

He waited till her sobs died down and it was only then that he pulled away from her. She looked up at him with a hurt look in her eyes and he frowned. He brought a hand down and pushed her hair out of her face and wiped away her tears. It was amazing that even after a crying fit she could still look so beautiful. Her eyes were shining now, in a way that no emerald could. Her face was flush, but not unattractively, and her skin seemed to glow. He immediately felt a little guilty and awkward for ogling her the way he was so soon after something that must have been rather traumatic, but he couldn't help himself. It was her fault that she looked so pretty, but it would be his fault if he pushed her too soon.

"I could have stopped him," she hiccupped. "I was going to. I'm not weak," she said darkly daring him to think or say otherwise.

"I know," he said simply. "Would you like me to call for Lady Tsunade so she can deal with him?" He asked pointing his gaze at the unconscious Uchiha who was sprawled on the floor in a muddled half-naked heap.

Sakura's eyes went wide. "No. I can't tell Tsunade what happened. I just can't," she said quickly, shaking her head back and forth.

Neji frowned. "Would you like to tell me why the hell not?" He asked stepping away from her and crossed his arms over his chest.

Sakura looked up at him in a panic. "He just got back. I can't say anything. Knowing Shishou, she would throw him in jail or something. She's just waiting for an excuse to lock him away or have him killed. I can't let that happen to him, not because of me."

"Well then perhaps he should have been smart enough not to try to commit crimes this soon after he was offered amnesty," he said hotly.

Sakura's brows furrowed. "You don't understand."

Neji sighed exasperatedly, staring at her like she had gone mad. Maybe she had. He wasn't a doctor, but he was quite sure that sometimes people said and did nonsensical things when they went into shock. Perhaps he should take her to the hospital or something. Finally he conceded. "_I _won't make you do anything you don't want to," he sighed, the implication going unsaid. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked again doubtfully.

"I'm fine," she ground out between gritted teeth. She walked past him then and bent down over Sasuke. She reached forward and healed the bump on the back of his head and then checked his pulse. Whatever she felt she must have been satisfied with because the next second she stood and turned back to face him.

She looked so angry all of a sudden. _What had he done?_ he wondered. "Now you're mad at me," he said carefully tilting his head to the side trying to understand the pink enigma in front of him. Were women usually this difficult to understand? He didn't remember having to try this hard with TenTen, of course he never slept or tried to date TenTen, so he was sure that this was some sort of relationship difficulty.

"I'm not mad," she huffed as she started to walk past him down the hall leaving both him and the Uchiha behind. He had to jog slightly to keep up, but when he got into stride with her he frowned.

"Where are you going?" He asked trying to decipher the emotions that were passing over her face. They both walked out of the tower and into the bright sunlight and she let out an exasperated cry. It surprised him and made him jump. _Yes, perhaps she had gone mad_… After she had settled down she closed her eyes and put her hands on the side of her head and took in long slow breaths.

Neji looked at her nervously, chewing the inside of his cheek, as if she were going to start ticking and explode, maybe she would. He wasn't foolish to rule anything out when it came to Sakura. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sakura please tell me what to do and I will do it," he huffed in frustration. How was it this woman could make him feel so helpless?

"I can still feel him on my body, inside of me," she said in a very small voice. "I just want to go home and take a shower and never get out." Her eyes were filling with tears again and his heart did a very strange flip-flop. He didn't like it when she cried he realized. In a hurry to catch her before she lost herself in tears he stepped forward and took her in his arms. "Then let me take you home. You can shower there and I will keep you safe, I promise."

Sakura looked up at him doubtfully, but the look she saw in his eyes was so sincere that she couldn't tell him no. She didn't want to tell him no, especially not after what had happened with Sasuke. Her heart painfully restricted in her chest and she mentally chastised herself. She didn't want to think about _him_ anymore and she especially didn't want to think about what had happened. She nodded her head and looked up at the man standing in front of her. How strange that even though she wanted to forget everything and be left alone, she didn't want to be away from him. Perhaps she had underestimated her feelings for the white eyed jounin in front of her. She smiled and held out her hand for him to take. "Okay, let's go." She said softly.

Neji stared down at the hand she was offering for him to hold. Was she serious? She wanted to hold his hand of all things? She huffed and wiggled her fingers impatiently so he walked forward and took it like she wanted. He felt ridiculous, but it seemed to make her feel better so he mentally shrugged and followed her back to her apartment without any more complaint.

XXXX

Neji sat on the edge of her bed as she showered. Curious, he activated his Byakugan and took in all the details of her apartment. It was actually quite plain much to his surprise. There only seemed to be a bed, dresser, and nightstand table, but there were small touches here and there that showcased her personality. The walls were white and plain but her bed was overflowing with pillows and blankets that were red and a soft pink color that matched her hair exactly. It wasn't a color he would ever imagine furnishing his own room with of course, it looked too much like a child's overly iced birthday cake in his opinion, but it matched her just fine.

Next to the bed was a red dresser that had a few pictures on it, one of them a photo that he could tell was taken in her early genin days. It showed the face of a smiling lazy copycat ninja, an overjoyed Sakura, and her two teammates scowling at each other enclosed simple black frame. He had a picture much like it with his own team at home.

Next to it was a very small photo of a wedding ceremony with a middle aged couple smiling lovingly at each other, the woman's pink hair shining behind a beautiful white ivory comb. Sakura looked very much like her mother he came to realize. He felt a little twinge in his chest as he ran his hand over the woman in the photo and he wished that he could have met her before she died. It made him think of his own mother and father, but he quickly snuffed those feelings before they could surface. He was very good at burying his emotions, he had to be.

Then something caught his attention and he looked down the dresser and noticed a piece of red lacey fabric poking out of one of the drawers. _Curious_, he thought, tilting his head to the side. He reached down then and rubbed the fabric between his fingers and smirked at its soft delicate texture. When he pulled his hand away the small garment fell out of the dresser quite suddenly and he jumped reaching forward to grab it, and when he did he froze, mouth agape. It wasn't just any garment, it was underwear. No, underwear wasn't the right word for this scant lacey piece of fabric. There was much too little to cover anything important. He brought it up for closer inspection and fought the growing blush that spread up his neck and across his cheeks. Why in the world would someone wear something like this and how could he get Sakura to wear one of these for him?

"Neji, what are you doing?" A voice asked suddenly and he jumped as if someone had shot him in the ass with a Kunai.

"Panties!" he cried mortified as he jumped off of the bed and shoved said scanty red object into his pocket, hoping to Kami she hadn't seen what he had been doing. What the hell was wrong with him? He wasn't some prepubescent school boy who steals women's underwear, but it was too late to put them back now.

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him in confusion, "Huh?"

"Candies," he said suddenly, "Your bed looks like a child decorated it in taffy." After the words left his mouth he immediately regretted them. _Kami I'm an idiot, she must think I'm some kind of degenerate,_ he kicked himself mentally.

"Uh huh," she said staring at him doubtfully, and then shrugged. They stared at each other a moment awkwardly before he spoke.

"So, how are you feeling?" he said hesitantly walking up to her and taking her hand to lead her over to her bed.

Her expression changed then and she suddenly became more remorse. He wished that she wouldn't look like that, but he was rather glad that she accepted the change of subject so quickly.

"Better," she mumbled and looked away from him. He didn't know what to say so he said nothing. It had taken him a while to notice that women usually needed to talk things out when they were upset, but he also noticed that they usually would talk when they felt like it and didn't always needed to be prompted to do so.

"I still feel kind of dirty you know?" She said in a small voice. "I just keep thinking that I'm so upset over what happened but I can't help but think… wasn't that exactly what I wanted?" She looked up at him expecting to see anger or disgust in his eyes, but she saw nothing. He was patiently waiting for her to continue, so she did. "All this time I've been waiting for him to come back, for him to tell me exactly what he did. I wanted him to want me, to _need_ me, and now I have no idea what the hell I want." She looked over at the picture of her genin team that was lying on her dresser and frowned.

After a few minutes had passed he cleared his throat politely and her gaze shot back up to meet his. The pain in her eyes was so raw as she stared at him uncertainty. She looked so vulnerable and he wasn't used to seeing her look like that. He wanted the strong sexy Sakura back and at that moment he realized he would do anything to make that happen.

"Do you still love him?" He asked. He was afraid of the answer she would give him, but he had to know.

She sat there and looked at him, her eyes searching his, until finally she spoke. "You told me last night that you knew I didn't love you, how do you know?"

_Well damn, that was unexpected_. He really hated it when people answered a question with another question, but he sighed and thought about it. Well the obvious answer was that she had been pining after the Uchiha since before she was twelve years old. The better question would be why wouldn't she love him anymore? He shook his head. No that was a very stupid question. The rat defector had left her and her team without so much as a proper goodbye to go train with another traitor to the village for the sole purpose of murdering another murderer, and if memory served correctly, he had also tried to kill Sakura no less than two times. Why the hell would she still love him? Wait, what was the question she asked again? Oh yes, why did he presume that she didn't love him. Wait, did she love him?

"Do you love me Sakura?" He echoed aloud.

"That's just it, I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. I thought I loved Sasuke, I really did, but I just don't know anymore!" She turned her face to the side and began to cry again silently.

_Damn it woman, stop it with the tears!_ He scowled internally, but outwardly he reached forward and put his arm around her waist and allowed her to settle her head on his shoulder trying to overcome the awkwardness and the twinge her being upset sent to his heart. Then he sighed. "Sakura I said I knew you didn't love me because I was afraid you didn't. You've been looking for Sasuke for so long, I just assumed your feelings have never changed. Now I see that I might have been wrong. Can't you see? I want to be wrong Sakura-chan, because I love y…" he stopped abruptly and he turned to look at her. She was staring at him with wide eyes, the shock plain on her face.

"You love me?" She asked all tears forgotten as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

He blushed suddenly and cursed himself for letting his words escape him so bluntly. He tried to look away but she ducked her head to look up at him through his long dark hair.

"Do you love me?" She asked again touching his shoulder gently.

All of his breath left him in a rush and he looked up and reached out to touch the side of her face. "I do," he breathed.

She closed her eyes and brought her hand up to cradle his against her cheek and smiled. "You know, you told me last night that all you wanted from me is my loyalty and honesty. Is that still true? Do you want me to be honest with you Neji?"

The question confused him. Of course he wanted her to be loyal and honest with him, why would that have changed? "Yes," he said carefully, looking at her suspiciously. She nodded and suddenly he was blinking up at her slightly dazed, his back pressed into her soft bed.

She giggled at his adorable expression of surprise and pinned his body with her own. She straddled his waist and leaned over him letting her pink hair fan around them like a bubblegum curtain and smiled seeing the two colors of their hair meld together, pink and black. "Then _honestly_ Hyuga, I want you to love me," she purred.

"But I do love y…" he began to say confusedly, but she interrupted him.

"No, I want you to _love_ me," she said rolling her hips against his proving her point, and smiled when his eyes widened and his breath hitched. Then she leaned down and kissed him softly, barely touching her lips to his. "Make me forget everything else," she whispered against his mouth. "Let me show you how much I love you. Make me yours again."

He looked up at her in surprise as his brain tried to make sense of what she had just said. She seriously had a knack for surprising and confusing the hell out of him. She could be soft and gentle one moment, and then in the very next she could be playful and forceful. This was the girl who was as beautiful as her namesake implied, but could be as deadly as any shinobi he had ever known. He never knew what to expect from her, but he honestly wouldn't want it any other way. A bright smile spread across his face and he leaned up, capturing her lips with his and threaded his hands into her soft pink strands. He kissed her as gently and deeply as possible, putting all his love and devotion into the kiss as he could manage. His heart soared when he felt that she was doing the same.

When they pulled back from each other they were both smiling. Then Sakura gave a surprised yelp when he suddenly grabbed her waist and rolled them both till he was resting on top of her. "As you wish," he said softly, and did exactly what she asked.

XXXX

Morning pressed through the curtains of her bedroom, the light reflecting off of the dark hair of the man beside her. He was lying on his side facing her, eyes closed as his chest rose and fell softly in sleep. He looked so peaceful, and she couldn't help but smile. She rolled her eyes to the window and noticed that it was midmorning and groaned. Her shift at the hospital would start soon. She briefly thought about sending a message to Tsunade telling her she couldn't come in today, but then immediately felt guilty. She had a job to do, and no matter how much she wanted to stay in bed with the wonderful man beside her, she would get up and get ready to go do her job. She sighed and when she looked back to look at his beautiful sleeping face she let out a yelp in surprise.

"Morning Sakura," he said, apparently wide awake, his milky eyes bright and staring at her.

She jumped. "Kami, you scared me to death!" she cried.

He chuckled and scooted closer to her until they were nose to nose. "Boo," he said softly and then kissed her gently.

She smirked and kissed him back. "Ha ha, very funny." Then she let a long outdrawn groan as she rolled onto her back. "I don't want to go to work," she moaned, bringing a hand down to cover her eyes.

He chuckled then and took her into his arms and rested his chin on top of her head. "I'll take that as a compliment, but you're the Hokage's apprentice. How good would it look if not even _you_ wants to go to work?"

"Stop making sense, it's annoying," she grunted taking a lock of his hair and twirling it between her fingers.

"Truly?" He scoffed.

She let out a sharp laugh. "No."

"Then get up," he commanded, sitting up suddenly. He rolled to the edge of the bed and put his feet to the floor. He walked around the side then and stood in front of her. She scowled at him and it made him chuckle.

"You are far too bossy Hyuga," she whined.

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "This coming from you, she who has the foulest temper in the village… besides the Hokage of course." He smirked when she let out a huff of rage and threw herself off the bed trying to grab at him. He dodged skillfully of course, and she stumbled past him and smacked into a wall with a surprised and angry _oomph!_

"Hyuga I'm going to kill you!" She shrieked as she spun around and stomped back towards him. Just as she lifted her hand back to hit him he pulled her against his body suddenly and threaded his hand in her hair and kissed her. She let out a small noise in shock, but it didn't take long for her to forget her anger and melt into his lips and body completely. Apparently seducing her made her anger dissipate completely. _Very interesting, _he thought, and filed that information away for later.

She deepened the kiss and smirked against his mouth when she felt something warm and solid pressed against the front of her body. Slowly she reached down and grazed the head of him and bit back a laugh when he groaned. _Seducing me is a double edged sword buddy_, she thought as she brought her hand around the shaft and started to play with him wickedly.

"You're insatiable," he breathed and closed his eyes allowing her to stroke him gently.

"You have no idea," she whispered back.

He leaned forward then and whispered against the side of her face. "Come take a shower with me. You're running out of time. It's getting late and I want to give you a proper goodbye before you have to go to work." He pulled away then and chuckled when he saw her pout.

"Oh go on then," she said impatiently. "I'll just get my clothes and I'll be right in."

He nodded and turned, walking towards the bathroom. She watched him go, appreciating the scrumptious view of his backside till the door snapped closed. She let out a content sigh and went to her dresser then and pulled it open taking out some underwear and her medic uniform. Once she had her clothes collected in her arms she started making her way to the bathroom, but something caught her eye and she paused. On the ground was their clothing that they had not so carefully shed last night, strewn about the floor, but what caught her eye was a bit of red that was peeking out of Neji's pants. She leaned down and pulled on the thin fabric and it came out easily into her hand. Then she froze, anger bubbling to the surface once more.

"Neji, what the fuck are you doing with my underwear in your pocket!?" She screeched.

There was a long guilty pause behind the bathroom door before she heard a soft click of the lock being thrown. She dropped the clothes in her arms and clutched the red lacey panties in her hands as she stomped her way to the door. "You had better answer my question Hyuga or I'm going to break down this fucking door!" she cried, her anger boiling over.

Behind the door Neji took in a sharp guilty breath. He had completely forgotten about the underwear. He was guessing that she wouldn't believe him if he said he hadn't known what it was when he picked it up, and certainly wouldn't have put it in his pocket had she not startled him. _Think Hyuga, think fast_.

"Perhaps taking a shower alone would be more efficient!" he cried, and then turned the shower knob and hot steamy water poured down around him. It probably would be better if he took a shower alone today, only if he valued his life that is, especially when there was a pink angry freight train on the other side of the door. Then there was as loud _boom_ as said bathroom door exploded inwards sending splitters of wood all over the floor. Neji sighed, looks like there wasn't going to be a shower today.

XXXX

Sakura sighed. It was almost time to end her shift and she wanted nothing but to go home and take a nice long bath. She also couldn't wait to see him. He was due back from a mission tonight and he had promised her he would come see her. She told him she would leave her window unlocked.

She smiled. The last couple of weeks had been amazing. She never thought she would enjoy someone's company so much. Especially someone who didn't speak very much or very often, Sasuke aside, but she was loving every minute with Neji. She ended up telling her team that she and the white eyed ninja were together one afternoon after practice. Kakashi had looked at her in surprise and asked if he needed to have _the talk_ with her. She only smiled wickedly and told him she was beyond talking at this point. He didn't bring it up again.

Naruto had bounced around like a mad man grinning and saying something about being family for _real_ one day. Apparently he and Hinata had been in a relationship for quite some time too, and things were getting serious. She had smiled at him and said she always wanted a brother, and he hasn't stopped grinning at her since.

Sasuke… Sasuke never told anyone what had happened that day in the hall of the Hokage tower. That was fine by her, so neither had she. She figured if he was going to ruin his chances for assimilation back into the village he was going to have to have only himself to blame and not anyone else, especially her. They didn't talk much however and that hurt. She still had feelings for him somewhere buried deep inside her heart, but they were fading with every touch, every kiss, and every time she looked into Neji's eyes and saw him smiling back at her. He told her he loved her. She still wasn't sure how she felt about him, but for now what they had was enough. She couldn't promise him eternity, chances were that one day one of them would die on a mission and never come back, but she could promise him right now that she would always be honest and loyal to him as long as she was able. For now, that was good enough for him too.

She smiled and looked up at the clock and saw it was time to leave. She rose and made her way out of her office and took out a key, locking it with a soft click. She walked down the hall and waved at her coworkers as they told her goodnight and to be safe on her walk home. It was a bit chilly outside as she walked back to her apartment in a contemplative silence.

How strange was it that she had never thought anything about Neji emotionally or physically before the night in the cave so many weeks ago? She wondered how long he had been wanting and waiting to kiss her the way he did. She supposed she was lucky he was a very patient man. She sighed as she reached her front door and unlocked it stepping inside. She made her way over to her bathroom but decided not to bathe after all, and got into bed after she stripped down to only her underwear. As she got under the covers she lost herself to her thoughts once more.

How was it that all this time she had been pining for someone she hadn't really known at all? It was like she had built some image of what Sasuke was and what she wanted him to be up in her head, but he wasn't anything like what she imagined and he certainly had never loved her at all. Sasuke couldn't see her anymore, he could only see the shadow of what she had once been when she was twelve years old. It hurt her to think about it, but it hurt even more that she saw the same in him. She had no idea who he was anymore, or he her. She hoped that one day they could patch their relationship and be friends again. The feelings that she once felt for him were fading almost every day, and she was okay with that. The love she had for Sasuke wasn't the real thing and it certainly wasn't what she felt for Neji. What she had felt for Sasuke was just an imitation of love. It was a shadow and a hollow emptiness filled with pain and longing. It hadn't been love, not truly, it was only just a poor substitute for the real thing.

Suddenly there was a sharp snap and Sakura's eyes shot open. She turned her head towards her window as the _real thing_ stepped through into her room. Happiness flooded through her and she reached out for him and they both smiled.

XXXXX

Ok so there you have it, the very long ending to my very long one shot! I hope all of you liked it and I hope it lived up to your expectations. I'm sorry to all you Sasuke fans out there, but I wanted to make this a Saku/neji story from start to finish. So tell me what you think! Did you like it, hate it? Let me know. As alway so please review ^_^

-Cricket


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